Quick answer
Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts a person feels driven to perform to relieve the anxiety caused by obsessions, or to prevent a feared outcome. Common ones include washing, checking, counting, arranging, and reassurance-seeking. They give brief relief but strengthen the OCD cycle — which is why resisting them is central to treatment.
What compulsions are and do
Compulsions are the second half of the OCD cycle. When an obsession triggers anxiety or a sense of wrongness, a compulsion is the action taken to neutralize that feeling or ward off a feared consequence. They can be physical (washing, checking, repeating, arranging, touching) or mental (counting, praying, reviewing, reassuring). What defines them isn't the behavior itself but the function: they're driven by distress, aimed at relief or prevention, and feel very difficult to resist. The person usually knows the compulsion is excessive or illogical but feels compelled anyway.
Common types
Compulsions mirror the obsessions that drive them: contamination fears drive washing and cleaning; doubt drives checking (locks, appliances, work); harm or 'not just right' feelings drive repeating, arranging, or ordering; taboo thoughts drive mental reviewing, praying, or confessing. Reassurance-seeking — asking others, googling, self-reassuring — is an extremely common compulsion across all themes. Avoidance functions as a compulsion too: steering clear of triggers to prevent the anxiety. Compulsions can consume hours a day and severely disrupt life, whether they're visible or entirely internal.
Why they backfire — and what helps
Compulsions are seductive because they work — briefly. Each one relieves the anxiety for a moment, which is exactly why they're so hard to give up. But that relief teaches the brain that the obsession was a real threat and the compulsion was necessary, so the obsession returns, and the compulsion is needed again, more strongly. This is the engine of OCD. Treatment (ERP) breaks it by having you resist compulsions while facing triggers, allowing the anxiety to fade on its own — which teaches the brain the ritual was never needed. Recognizing your compulsions, including the subtle mental ones, is the essential first step toward stopping the cycle.
When to talk to a professional
OCD is very treatable, but it rarely improves on its own — and general talk therapy can accidentally make it worse by becoming a reassurance ritual. Look for a clinician trained specifically in ERP (exposure and response prevention). If intrusive thoughts distress you, that distress is a sign of your values, not your intentions.
This article is for general information only and is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified health professional about your situation. If you are in crisis, contact your local emergency number or a crisis line immediately.